Safety checks due at Bendigo airport

Authorities plan to conduct special flight path safety checks at the Bendigo airport in December.

Bendigo is one of 16 airports to be inspected by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, to make sure instrument procedure flight paths at the aerodromes continue to be safe.

A twin-engine Cessna Conquest aircraft will be used to carry out the safety checks within an area up to 35 kilometres from the aerodrome and flying as low as several hundred feet at times.

CASA said the unusual flight pattern was required to make sure any obstacles, such as towers, trees, masts or buildings that can be a danger to aircraft, were accurately marked on charts and no new obstacles existed.

The checks are carried out every three years to maintain a high level of air safety at all aerodromes.

If poor weather or other factors do not allow the safety checks to go ahead on the planned days they will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Aviation services provider Corporate Air will conduct the checks on CASA’s behalf.